Setting

Ms S McEwan Headteacher Keighley St Andrews CE Primary School Lustre Street Keighley BD21 2ND

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Thank you for the help you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 27 January 2010 , for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information you provided before and during my visit . Please pass my thanks to the pupils, too, for their warm and polite welcome.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The school’s context has changed little since the last inspection. Staff turnover continues to be significant and the deputy headteacher is currently teaching full time to cover one of two periods of maternity leave.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Inspection evidence was drawn from the observation of three lessons, a learning walk, scrutiny of a sample of pupils’ work and other documents and meetings with some staff and pupils.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

As a result of the inspection on 10–11 April 2008, the school was asked to:  improve achievement and raise standards in English, mathematics and science  improve the overall quality of teaching, planning and assessment.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school has made satisfactory progress in making improvements and satisfactory progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Pupils’ achievement has improved a little. The progress pupils make by the time they leave the school improved well in 2008 and, although it dipped in 2009, has remained in line with expectations for two years. The school’s own tracking shows that better progress has been sustained for nearly all groups in the current year, although hampered in some cases by poor attendance or discontinuity of teaching. In particular, the sizeable group of pupils with special educational needs and/or CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancashire Business Park Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 08456 40 40 40 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566935 Direct F 01695 729320 Susan.bowles@ofsted.gov.uk September 2009 Page 2 disabilities are making better progress. This is reflected in the lessons and work seen, although there is variation between classes. The school monitors learning and progress carefully and interventions to boost progress in reading, writing, calculation

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

and problem solving show early signs of positive impact.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Despite these improvements in progress, the standards attained in English, mathematics and science have remained low. Having risen in 2008, the results of pupils in Year 6 dipped again in 2009, especially in mathematics. Based on the school’s data, results for the current Year 6 are unlikely to match the government’s minimum expectation. Some areas of weakness, including pupils’ handwriting, are widely evident. However, standards of attainment are gradually rising for younger pupils. This shows in the assessments made by the school and the quality of work seen during the inspection.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The school has made progress on improving the quality of teaching, though this remains variable. Well-focused professional development has better embedded teachers’ use of assessment to tailor their planning to pupils’ needs and strengths. Teachers assess accurately and, in the best examples seen, they plan effectively how individual pupils will reach suitably high expectations. Pupils generally understand what they are learning and why, because teachers explain this simply and set learning in realistic contexts. In the more successful lessons seen teachers and their assistants involved pupils in well-pitched and lively activities which challenged them, for example, to express their reasoning in connected sentences. With the help of explicit guidance on the ‘steps to success’, pupils tackle tasks quite independently. Some teachers are adept at checking pupils’ progress in the lesson and raise the challenge for individuals as quickly as possible. Marking gives pupils

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

clear feedback and, in the best cases, pupils have acted on this to improve their work. However, these qualities were not seen consistently. Teaching sometimes missed opportunities to involve all pupils in high-quality talk or in improving their work. Pupils’ interest declined when they were passive for too long, and teaching assistants were not always used well.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The school’s capacity to improve has strengthened slightly. The drive to raise standards continues and shows gathering impact on progress, but improvement is not clear and rapid. You have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school and have responded purposefully to the robust evaluation provided by the School Improvement Partner. You have taken strategic action where possible to strengthen the capacity to improve. For example, potential leaders have been given responsibility. Good practice in the school and the local cluster of schools has been used to help staff develop professionally and when necessary this has been backed up by firm action. However, instability in staffing has continued to restrict the impact of leadership on pupils’ achievement, and the strain is greater this year than last. Education Bradford has placed the school in the top category of priority, but has only recently offered support from consultants for mathematics and English.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

You have welcomed this help, but it has not had time to prove its effect. September 2009 Page 3 I hope that you have found the visit helpful in promoting improvement in your school. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Susan Bowles Her Majesty’s Inspector September 2009 Page 4

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